Nano-engineering Immortal Cultivation Chronicle

Chapter 27

Episode 27: Return to Present Ghost Peak

In the end, what Uiseong was trying to say was simple: don’t refine pills for others. And rely on enlightenment to advance your cultivation. Seeing his brutally severed legs, it wasn’t hard to understand where he was coming from.

‘Then why did he leave behind his Personal Notes and the Pill Furnace?’

Strictly speaking, even that was an act of consideration for others. Perhaps it was the last lingering attachment he couldn’t let go of. With that thought, Jang So-cheon walked over to where the Pill Furnace stood.

The name of the Alchemy Furnace was Earth Heaven Transformation Furnace.

But even its appearance was extraordinary.

The three pillars supporting the furnace were shaped like dragons. On the surface, elegant reliefs depicted immortal maidens refining pills among the clouds. To store the furnace in the Heaven and Earth Pouch, he’d have to shrink it with Law Power first.

Earth Heaven Transformation Furnace.

As Jang So-cheon repeated the name and began to shrink the furnace with Law Power, he felt something odd.

There was something inside.

He opened the furnace—and found a clear, blue Jade Box resting within.

“What’s this?”

Jang So-cheon’s eyes flickered like a candle in the wind as he opened the Jade Box.

Inside were three golden, gleaming Elixir Pills, and beneath them, the name of the pill and its recipe were inscribed.

“Primordial Spirit Pill.”

Seeing the name, Jang So-cheon raised a hand to calm his pounding heart.

Just as he’d suspected!

As he’d guessed, the furnace contained Primordial Spirit Pills—legendary pills said to raise a master at the Spirit Refining Stage to the Void Refining Stage. Cradling the Jade Box carefully, Jang So-cheon shrank the Earth Heaven Transformation Furnace and placed it inside his Heaven and Earth Pouch. Then, with a puzzled expression, he looked at the old man.

The reason the old man had lost his legs was likely because of the Primordial Spirit Pill.

And yet, why had he left the pill and its recipe behind in the mortal world?

Staring quietly at the old man’s face, Jang So-cheon felt as if he might understand.

Surprisingly, the old man’s expression was peaceful.

It wasn’t the face of someone who’d given up everything...

A faint smile, free of resentment or regret, lingered gently at the old man’s lips.

A soft chuckle.

Seeing that, Jang So-cheon also let a small smile touch his lips. His mind, which had been in turmoil, suddenly cleared—as if morning sunlight had swept away the darkness.

Rustle, rustle.

Jang So-cheon walked over to the old man and picked up a book titled Nameless Manual of Intent. He began to read...

And just like that, ten days flew by.

Yet Jang So-cheon’s gaze was still fixed on the first chapter of the Nameless Manual of Intent. The manual was composed of only three chapters in total.

And yet, even reading it was so difficult...

It took nearly a full month before Jang So-cheon managed to finish the first chapter.

Phew...

As if emerging from an abyss, Jang So-cheon let out a deep sigh. “This is a book that needs to be read slowly, with time to ponder. If you rush, you’ll never grasp its true meaning. I’ll save the rest for when I have more leisure.”

Shaking his head, he tucked the manual into his Heaven and Earth Pouch.

Ever since reincarnating into this world, Jang So-cheon had possessed a genius mind.

Yet even so, the contents of the manual were not easy to comprehend.

The Nameless Manual of Intent was a cultivation manual for strengthening one’s Consciousness Ritual.

To master it, one first needed to understand the Primordial Spirit.

He comforted himself with the thought that at least his understanding of the Primordial Spirit had deepened, then finally gave Uiseong a salute with fist and palm. Spreading his Flying Divine Artifact wide, he soared up through the entrance he’d come in by.

*

“Persistent bastards.”

Peering up at the sky through the cliff crevice, Jang So-cheon clicked his tongue at the screeching pterosaurs. It had been over a month since he’d entered the cliff, yet the pterosaurs still patrolled the skies, watching the gap.

But now that Jang So-cheon had advanced his cultivation inside the cliff, he no longer feared the pterosaurs before him. Still, that enormous pterosaur he’d seen last—he wasn’t confident he could face it even now.

Its massive size and ferocious aura...

Maybe if he reached the Spirit Refining Stage?

If he fought it before then, he’d lose every time.

So his best bet was to slip out of Monstrous Peak Mountain without being spotted by the beast.

Drip, drip.

Black storm clouds gathered overhead, and soon rain poured down in torrents. Jang So-cheon cheered inwardly.

The heavens themselves seemed to be helping him break through the pterosaurs’ encirclement and escape Monstrous Peak Mountain.

Dawn.

The black clouds blotted out even the starlight, plunging the world into pitch darkness.

Swoosh!

Cutting through the gloom, a single figure silently took to the air.

It was Jang So-cheon.

Though he wore the Flying Divine Artifact, he kept his altitude low, skimming close to the ground to slip out of Monstrous Peak Mountain as stealthily as possible.

But the giant pterosaur was more cunning than he’d thought.

As the absolute ruler of this mountain, it had stationed its minions even underground.

As a result...

Shrieks and howls of water spirit monsters echoed wherever Jang So-cheon passed.

Sensing he’d been discovered, Jang So-cheon shot up into the sky and vanished into the black clouds, using his Special Ability to orient himself as he sped toward Hoguk Fortress.

Screeeech!

It was here.

The giant pterosaur found him with ease, even in the black clouds.

Sensing danger, Jang So-cheon pushed the Flying Divine Artifact to its absolute limit.

Even so, the gap between them closed rapidly.

A distance of three hundred zhang shrank to just ten in the blink of an eye.

At this rate, he’d be caught and torn apart by the pterosaur.

Screeeech!

As if sensing this, the giant pterosaur let out a vicious shriek.

Then, with talons sharp enough to shred steel like paper, it snatched at Jang So-cheon’s back.

Whoosh!

Jang So-cheon’s body plummeted straight down.

His clothes were torn and blood spattered from his back, but thankfully, it wasn’t a fatal wound.

As if mocking him, the giant pterosaur battered Jang So-cheon with its wings.

Screeech!

Barely dodging the attack by tracking its trajectory with his Special Ability, Jang So-cheon twisted in midair and faced the monstrous beast head-on.

Hiss!

The giant pterosaur opened its beak, ready to swallow Jang So-cheon whole, convinced the fight was already over.

Whoosh!

A golden spear shot from Jang So-cheon’s hand.

It was the Golden Wheel Magic Spear he’d seized from that rooster-like high-ranking demon clan member before coming to Monstrous Peak Mountain. He hadn’t fully mastered its use yet.

It was a top-tier magic weapon.

It was a shame to use it for a single throw like this...

But with his life on the line, he couldn’t afford to be picky.

Click, click.

As the Golden Wheel Magic Spear flew, long, razor-sharp wings unfurled behind its blade.

This increased its speed to an almost supernatural degree...

Crash!

Before the giant pterosaur could even blink, the spear pierced straight into its eye.

Screeeech!

Caught off guard, the giant pterosaur screamed so loudly it seemed the sky itself would shatter. It yanked the weapon from its eye with both claws, the spear tip dragging a blood-red eyeball out with it.

Blinking its single remaining eye against the pain, the giant pterosaur scanned the area for Jang So-cheon—but he was nowhere to be seen.

Crushing the weapon in its claws, the beast beat its wings and descended below the clouds.

Screeeech!

Then it summoned every pterosaur in Monstrous Peak Mountain, ordering them to hunt Jang So-cheon to the ends of the earth.

Screeeech!

Jang So-cheon’s back felt as if it had been torn in two by the giant pterosaur’s attack, but he pushed the Flying Divine Artifact to its limits with all his remaining strength.

Luckily, aside from the giant pterosaur, nothing could match his speed.

So, before a full day had passed, Jang So-cheon managed to escape Monstrous Peak Mountain unharmed.

Once clear, he entered an unnamed canyon.

There, he found a small cave and treated his wounds.

The injuries didn’t heal easily. But after about half a month, he could move without much discomfort.

While tending to his wounds, Jang So-cheon realized just how fragile his body was.

He resolved to find a defensive magic weapon and learn some body techniques as soon as possible. With that, he took to the skies once more.

As he soared with his Flying Divine Artifact, he happened to catch a current of wind that matched his direction perfectly. He couldn’t pass up such a good opportunity. Riding the current, his speed soared to heights he’d never experienced before.

Passing over Hoguk Fortress...

At last, Jang So-cheon returned to Present Ghost Peak.

Seeing the distant peak, he glided down gently. Landing at the base, he put away his Flying Divine Artifact.

Whoosh!

Unleashing the Cloud Moon Divine Technique, Jang So-cheon raced up the mountain, his heart pounding with anticipation at the thought of seeing familiar faces again. Now that he’d reached the Eight Stars of Spiritual Energy, his Cloud Moon Divine Technique had reached a new level. And with the Cloud Step Shoes on his feet, he arrived at the dormitory site in no time.

But—what was this?

The old lodgings and dormitory were gone.

Burned down, perhaps...

Only traces remained.

“No way...”

Anxious, Jang So-cheon dashed straight to Wuji Hall—only for his heart to warm unexpectedly.

The old Wuji Hall was completely destroyed.

But on the ruins, dozens of small new buildings had been erected.

One of them—

As someone opened the door and stepped out, Jang So-cheon recognized his old friend Makjang.

“Makjang!”

Jang So-cheon called out loudly.

Makjang’s eyes went wide with shock.

“So-cheon! You’re alive!”

“Yeah, I made it.”

Jang So-cheon ran over to him.

At that moment, the door Makjang had come from burst open, and people poured out. They were members of One Group from the Herb Gathering Hall.

“So-cheon!”

“Hahaha! You rascal, you made it back safe.”

“Captain! That’s So-cheon!”

Jang So-cheon ran to Gwak Mu-jin.

Gwak Mu-jin took his hand.

“So-cheon! We were so worried. Thank goodness you’re safe.”

“I was worried too. I’m so glad to see everyone’s alright.”

“Yeah. Wait—when did your cultivation get so high?”

Gwak Mu-jin looked at Jang So-cheon in shock after sensing his level.

Sanggwan Cheonse and Han Yeo-ok also looked stunned.

It hadn’t even been three years since they’d parted, yet Jang So-cheon’s cultivation had jumped from late Fourth Star Level to early Eight Stars of Spiritual Energy.

To reach the Eight Stars of Spiritual Energy at twenty...

It was an unprecedented pace.

The members of One Group had also made rapid progress in that time. Gwak Mu-jin, the captain, had advanced from Eleven Star, Sanggwan Cheonse was at mid-Eight Stars, and Han Yeo-ok, with her Four-Yin Muscle Body Type, had reached early Eight Stars.

Only Makjang was still at early Fourth Star Level.

“So-cheon! Does this mean I have to call you Senior Brother now?” Makjang’s face suddenly fell.

He was happy So-cheon had returned, but the gap in their cultivation left him feeling inferior.

“Hey! What’s with the Senior Brother talk between friends? Just keep calling me So-cheon.”

“Really?”

“Of course. No matter our cultivation, you’ll always be my friend.”

“Huh! So-cheon, then what should we call you?” Sanggwan Cheonse asked, looking awkward. He and So-cheon were now both at Eight Stars of Spiritual Energy.

They should be equals, but that made him worry about Makjang’s feelings.

So Jang So-cheon offered a solution. “Deputy Leader, what do you call Han Sa-jeo?”

“I call her Junior Sister. It’s a habit I can’t break.”

“Han Sa-jeo!”

“Yes?”

“Do you mind if the Deputy Leader calls you Junior Sister?”

“Not at all.”

Han Yeo-ok blushed slightly as she answered.

From her expression, it seemed she wanted to be his Junior Sister forever.

“I see. Then, Deputy Leader and Han Sa-jeo, just keep calling me Brother Jang like before. I don’t mind at all.”

“But won’t the other disciples look down on you?”

“Anyone who tries will be dealt with immediately.”

The group captain, who’d been listening, stayed silent.

This wasn’t a decision to be made lightly.

In the cultivation world, seniority was traditionally determined by cultivation level, for good reason. Each person’s Spirit Root Attribute and talent varied greatly, leading to huge differences in cultivation speed.

Those with higher cultivation would naturally take on greater responsibilities. If you kept addressing a lower-level disciple with honorifics just because they joined earlier, the sect would never function properly.

Especially since cultivators often lived for thousands of years.

For them, the time of entry meant little. That’s why, since ancient times, seniority had been determined by cultivation level.

It was a serious matter...

Not something to be decided in a casual conversation.

“We’ll wait and see before deciding on titles. Brother Jang, go greet Master first. Makjang, show him the way.”

“Yes, Captain.”

On the way to see Master, Jang So-cheon asked Makjang about the situation.

Before Jang So-cheon went to the demon clan territory, Wuji Perfected One had nearly thirty disciples.

Now, there were fewer than twenty.

The second and third groups of Herb Gathering Hall had been merged...

And Law Enforcement Hall’s numbers had dropped sharply.

Even Master’s quarters, which Makjang led him to, were humble in the extreme.

From this, Jang So-cheon could guess the current state of the Extreme Heaven Sect.

“Master! It’s me, So-cheon. I’ve returned from the demon clan territory with medicinal herbs.”

“Who is it?”

The door swung open, and Wuji Perfected One appeared before Jang So-cheon.

He looked a bit haggard.

“Master! Please accept my bow.”

It had been so long since they’d met.

Jang So-cheon knelt and bowed deeply to his master.

Wuji Perfected One came over and helped him up.

He wasn’t even wearing shoes.

“I’m glad you made it back safely. Come inside.”

“Yes, Master.”

Once inside, Makjang saluted and returned to his own quarters.

“Sit.”

Wuji Perfected One poured Jang So-cheon a cup of tea himself.

As Jang So-cheon started to speak about what had happened, Wuji Perfected One raised a hand to stop him.

“Drink your tea first. As they say, the more urgent you are, the more you must take your time.”

“Understood.”

As he sipped his tea, Jang So-cheon looked at his master—still at the late Spirit Refining Stage. But his eyes had changed.

Now, they held a mysterious light.